Ducks counting on forward prospects after season ends

The Anaheim Ducks will not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season after getting there the previous six.

The Ducks (29-33-9) were not among the 24 teams to make the Qualifying Round or Seeding Round Robin when the NHL announced its Return to Play Plan on May 26.
Here is a look at what happened during the 2019-20 season for the Ducks and why things could be better next season:

The Skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents:Michael Del Zotto, D; Matt Irwin, D; Ryan Miller, G
Potential restricted free agents: Christian Djoos, D; Jacob Larsson, D; Sonny Milano, F;
Kiefer Sherwood
, F;
Troy Terry
, F
Potential 2020 NHL Draft picks:7

What went wrong

Inability to score:The Ducks could not overcome a lack of offense that cost them after starting the season 6-2-0. They went 13-22-5 in their next 40 games and without consecutive victories from Nov. 3 to Jan. 16. Comebacks were rare for the Ducks, who were 8-22-5 when the opponent scored first and 1-27-4 when trailing after two periods. Anaheim scored 182 goals, 26th in the NHL, and averaged 2.56 goals per game (29th). The Ducks were 5-3-1 and scored 26 goals after the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, tied for fifth with the Philadelphia Flyers, but it was too late.
Special teams regression: The Ducks were 26th in penalty killing (77.0 percent), a steep decline from 2016-17 (84.7 percent, fourth) when they advanced to the Western Conference Final. The kill rate dropped in subsequent seasons to fifth in 2017-18 (83.2 percent) and tied for 19th (79.7 percent) in 2018-19. Power-play production wasn't much better with the Ducks 30th at 14.7 percent after finishing 24th (17.0 percent) in 2018-19.
Growing pains:The Ducks transitioned to a rebuild when their failure to make the 2019 playoffs ended a six-season postseason streak that included two trips to the Western Conference Final. But none of their young players took a big step this season with some splitting time between the Ducks and San Diego of the American Hockey League. Sam Steel, 22, scored 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 65 games to lead homegrown prospects ages 23 and younger.
Max Comtois
, 21, showed promise by scoring 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 29 games for the Ducks but did not play a game with them after he was sent to San Diego on Jan. 16.

Reasons for optimism

Patience: The road to a rebuild has been bumpy, but the Ducks remain excited about the future. In addition to Steel benefitting from playing one full NHL season, Anaheim has high hopes for forwards Trevor Zegras (No. 9) and Brayden Tracey (No. 29) chosen in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Zegras signed a three-year, entry-level contract March 27 after his 25 assists in 33 games for Boston University tied for second among NCAA freshmen and nine assists in the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship tied for fourth-most by a United States player in one tournament.
Sonny Milano: The No. 16 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft scored five points (two goals, three assists) in his first seven games after he was traded to the Ducks by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 24. Milano, who turned 24 on May 12, may have his best days ahead if the pending restricted free agent agrees to a new contract, and that could include developing chemistry with Danton Heinen on a line with center Ryan Getzlaf, who turned 35 on May 10.

Adam Henrique:The 30-year-old center had his best season for the Ducks with highs of 26 goals and 43 points and his most productive in the NHL since scoring an NHL-career high 30 goals for the New Jersey Devils in 2015-16. He scored five power-play goals to lead the Ducks and his nine power-play points tied for the team lead with Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell.